His Freedom
by Riddicks Raven
Summary: This is the second story in what became the Planet of the Dead trilogy. What could have really happened behing the waterfall between Riddick and the hell hound. Makes use of the deleated scene of Toomes' death. Mostly from the hell hounds POV.


It had been five years since most of his pack had been captured. Five years of abuse and torture. Five years of Hell. He often dreamed of his home world, hunting in the rain soaked forest. He even dreamed of HIS humans. The one who had captured him, and the one who had freed him. His dreams came less and less these days because once his handlers saw that he was dreaming, they would bash his cage with mallets or stab at him. Sometimes they would get a lucks shot and peirce the tender skin beneath the armor plates. Every two days he would be given the closest thing to freedom: Hunting and killing inmates. It was the only time they were fed. If one of the handlers was feeling twisted, they would pit two of them against each other in a fighting pit. Fighting to the death, the victor would cannibalize the loser. He never lost. He heard the handlers coming. Today he would eat. Today he would go hungry. Today...He wouldn't mind.

********

Riddick had just finished his shower under the waterfall. Replacing his goggles he touched the cut under his left eye that Kyra had given him. He turned and saw her slip away.

"Still here I see." It was the convict that had read him "the rules" the day before. "I've been here eighteen years. You see this?" He was turning a wedding band. "I remember how georgous she was. Well...Georgous in a certin light, and now for the god-damned death of me I can't remember her name."

A voice boomed over the loud speaker, "FEEDING TIME!"

"We're here for the rest of our unnatural lives." He gave Riddick one last piece of advice. "Whatever you do, don't make eye contact." Riddick stepped back under the waterfall and waited, for what he didn't know.

***********

They had come for him and several of the others. They took him to a releasing point. He could smell their fear, and it burned his nose as much as it drove him on. His handler jerked his muzzle off, and bashed him in the back with a mallet. The hound growled and turned red. Feeding time. With one jump, he was sliding down the slope to his favorite hunting area. The hound the guards called number five, the one the convicts called The Terror, stalked towards the waterfalls sniffing and growling. Some fool always thought they could hide from him there. He could scent the human male, but couldn't see him. As he passed in front of the falls the scent hit him full bore, so completely that it knotted his stomach in anticipation of his next meal. He turned around, went back to the fall and sniffed again. Something in his torchered brain clicked. He went back to the fall and stuck his head through the water.

Riddick stood with his back to the wall. He breathed deeply, "Hell hound," he thought. He inhaled again. "No, it couldn't be." He took off his goggles and waited. He heard the hound turn around and stop in front of his hidding place. He stuck his massive head through the water, growling and shivering. Riddick lowered his gaze to meet the hound's. He didn't know what to expect from him after all that had been done to him. What he got wasn't what he expected. The hound raised his head, and licked his cut. Riddick climbed down and the hound rubbed his leg, softly growling. They crossed out from under the falls and sat in an alcove, his head in Riddick's lap. He saw the tag with his number clamped to his ear, and with a growl he took it out.

"Slam can turn even the most gentle souls into beasts, huh Radu?" At the mention of his name, Radu again licked his face. Riddick smiled, and Radu begged to be scratched as he always had. Riddick never could resist him. "When this is all over, I'm coming back for you." For almost a hour, it was like it used to be on Talon 5.

The bearded convict came looking for him. He found them on the ground, the hound laying in front on him, and Riddick rubbing his chin and petting him like the beast was some sort of pet. An alarm sounded. Grudgingly, Radu got up and leaped at the other man, bending the steel bars. Time to return to Hell. Riddick looked at the other man and smiled.

"It's an animal thing."

******

He heard the heavy footsteps of the main hound keeper decending the steps,to what was laughingly called "the kennel". They were kept slotted up in twelve by twelve foot boxes with barely enough room to turn around. He could smell the rage pouring off this man, like the acid smell of meat left to rot in the sun. He hated this man and everything here. He wanted to be with his human and free again.

The hound keeper roared,"Go get number five NOW! We got a escape attempt! Let that bloodthirsty bastard have 'em!"

"Are you sure you want number five? That monster is the worst one in here." The handler was clearly unsettled.

"Yes, damnit! I want those runners dead!"

*******

It felt like only minutes to Radu since he had left the man, but it could have been days. They were coming for him, and only him this time. They took him up to the railcar tracks and released him. He could smell the guards going off one way, how he wished that he could rip them all to shreds. He smelled the convicts going off the other way. _He_ was with the convicts. Radu hurried. He was getting closer, he could hear glass breaking and humans talking. He stopped, he could smell someone with hatred for his human, his friend. Radu turned red and shivered, he would make this man pay.

***********

Toomes stepped through the broken safety glass. "The way I look at it ya still my prisoner. Ah uh." He pointed one gun at the convict that would protect Riddick, and the other was aimed at Riddick himself.

"Don't move." Riddick looked very relaxed. "I wouldn't point that thing at me if I were you."

"What's this Reverso World. HEH HEH HEH. Uh?"

Toomes turned in time to see Radu jump on him. He went for the merc's throat, somehow Toomes managed to raise his gun and fire. Riddick bowed his head. Toomes put his hand to his throat and died. Riddick walked over to his body, knelt down and grabbed his cloak and whispered, "Shoulda took the money Toomes." He walked over to Radu, raised his goggles and knelt down. "SSSHHHH." He stroked the spiked neck, and Radu stopped moving. The last physical connection to her and his son was gone forever. Dead. He had to fight with everything he had not to break down and die with Radu, and the memories of the only time in his life that he had ever truly been happy.

"He's with us now Riddick. He's fine." He felt her hand on his. "Time to run. Now!" She was gone again. Her spirit had always came to him when he had needed her the most.

Throwing Toomes' cloak over the body of his friend, he turned and ran. In a few minutes Radu would only be a memory in his soul.

FIN.


End file.
